AURORA | Deputy Chief Terry Jones will serve as interim police chief from May 30 until the city hires a new top cop to replace Dan Oates, city officials announced Thursday.
Oates, who has been chief since 2005, was named the chief of police in Miami Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.
Jones has been with the department for 35 years and previously served as interim chief in 2005 during the search that resulted in Oates’ hiring.
In a statement announcing Jones’ appointment as interim chief Thursday, a city spokeswoman said city officials hope to have a new chief in place by the end of the year.
By June 1st, I’d expect to see some major moves made on the part of Interim Chief Terry Jones. Minus the looming presence of Oates, Jones will be able to turn things around for the department and citizens.
A good question: Who will Jones appoint as Interim Deputy Chief? Kevin Flynn and Rob McGregor are not qualified at this juncture. There’s only one person who worked for 11 years as a Division Chief…. Ken Murphy. He has the education and experience.
Otherwiise, if nobody is appointed Interim Deputy Chief, and if Jones can do both jobs effectively, that will tell me the Deputy Chief position doesn’t have much to do and is an unnecessary expenditure.